BOUNTY TAGLINE SURVIVES CHALLENGE BY RIVAL

Watchdog Group Says 'Quicker Picker Upper' Claim Still Valid

CINCINNATI (AdAge.com) -- After almost three decades on air, the "Quicker Picker Upper" tagline for Procter & Gamble Co.'s Bounty brand has survived a challenge before the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus from rival Kimberly-Clark Corp.

Rosie
Bounty began using the tagline in ads in the early 1970s from the predecessor to current shop Havas Advertising's Jordan McGrath Case & Partners/Euro RSCG, New York, featuring actress Nancy Walker as waitress Rosie.

of the 20th century in 1999, former Chairman-CEO Durk Jager listed the Rosie ad as one of P&G's three best ever, citing its role in "re-inventing the product demonstration."

More recently, however, rival Kimberly-Clark has re-invented its own Scott brand.

Following product improvements to Scott last year, Kimberly-Clark said it found in its own tests that consumers were indifferent between Scott and Bounty, prompting the challenge to the superiority claim.

Council: Modify ads
The NAD substantiated that the "Quicker Picker Upper" claim remains valid. But the agency recommended P&G discontinue or modify a side-by-side demonstration used in recent advertising to indicate that the paper towel must be folded to perform as demonstrated and either eliminate or disclose use of a grease marker (the grease marker leaves a clear mark on the surface shown in the demo that's raised enough to help contain a liquid spill).

In a statement to NAD, P&G said it was pleased that its superior absorbency claim was substantiated and that, while it disagrees with concerns over clarity of the demonstration, the company will address those issues prior to airing future ads.

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Jack Neff

Jack Neff, editor at large, covers household and personal-care marketers, Walmart and market research. He's based near Cincinnati and has previously written for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bloomberg, and trade publications covering the food, woodworking and graphic design industries and worked in corporate communications for the E.W. Scripps Co.